Thank you for visiting my legislative website. It is my honor to serve the citizens of the 13th Senate District in the Illinois General Assembly. On this website, you can learn a little bit about me, my record in the General Assembly, and the services I can provide you. I always welcome feedback from my constituents, so if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Governor Rauner said a lot during his budget address last week, but unfortunately not all of it was true. Here are the facts on five of the many misleading statements the governor made.

Rauner Claim #1:“It’s why we’ve been working for two years to pass a truly balanced budget, to create equal access to strong schools and good jobs.”

?

FACT:The governor’s two previous budget proposals weren’t balanced. The budget he proposed this year is also unbalanced.

Rauner Claim # 2:“When it comes to higher education, we understand the hardship being felt by students who rely on state assistance to go to college. That’s why we’re proposing a 10 percent increase to MAP Grant funding – so those students can focus on learning, and not their next tuition bill.”

?

FACT:MAP grants, college grants for needy students, aren’t receiving state funding now. Public universities are also going without state aid. The governor recommended funding higher education at the level it was a few years ago, but his administration has failed to introduce legislation to do this.

Rauner Claim #4: “We know the challenges facing human services … that is why our proposal increases support for Child Care and other programs that assist children, senior citizens, and our other most vulnerable residents.”

?

FACT:Governor Rauner has called every year for eliminating funding for afterschool programs for at-risk youth, homeless prevention services and programs that help autistic children.

Rauner Claim # 5: “Job creators and relocation firms tell us that rooting out fraud and abuse from the worker’s compensation system and getting highest-in-the-country property taxes under control are two of the most important ways to make Illinois more competitive. Very high workers’ comp insurance costs in the private sector continue to drive businesses out of state – and in the public sector, they contribute to higher property taxes. Changes are necessary to attract employers and create new jobs.”

?

FACT:The General Assembly approved workers compensation reforms in 2011 to improve our business climate by reducing employer costs while preserving workers’ rights. An article published by the Illinois State Bar Association called the new laws the “broadest reform to Illinois workers’ compensation law since 1975.” The reforms resulted in declining costs to employers.

State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago 13th) released the following statement today in response to Governor Rauner’s budget address:

Today, Governor Rauner said he proposed a budget, but I looked all around the Capitol, and I couldn’t find it. The governor instead continued to undermine the Senate’s bipartisan efforts and once again failed to fulfill his constitutional obligation to present a balanced budget.

During his address, Governor Rauner presented a laundry list of goals with no details on how to pay for them. He suggested that he knows what job creators want. I can tell you that what they want most is the stability that comes from paying our bills on time. Before Governor Rauner took office, we had made great progress in paying down our backlog. Now, we have accrued more than $11 billion in unpaid bills. The only difference between then and now is who is in the governor’s mansion.

I continue to be proud of my colleagues in the Senate, particularly President Cullerton and Leader Radogno, for working tirelessly to propose a budget that will finally offer relief to the people who have been suffering for nearly two years as essential services and providers are stretched to the limit. Although the governor did not do his job today, we will continue to push for a solution that provides for the people of Illinois.

Last month, Governor Rauner invoked Teddy Roosevelt’s words to commend the Senate for engaging in the necessary, grueling work of public service. Senators are in the arena, he said, “covered in blood, covered in mud, covered in sweat, getting hit and attacked, and suffering, but in there working, in there battling.”

Indeed, our efforts to craft a bipartisan budget solution are difficult and important work. Senate leadership has shown a great willingness to craft a bipartisan compromise. And we are operating with an unprecedented amount of pressure. Every day that passes without a budget is a day that our state’s backlog grows, that vital services limp by without adequate funding. And so yes, Republican and Democratic senators have entered the arena, together, day after day, to fulfill our obligation to present a budget.

With the governor’s annual budget address approaching, I invite him to join us in advancing a plan rather than undermining one. As Roosevelt also said in the speech the governor referenced, credit does not belong to the critic who points out “where the doer of deeds could have done them better.” Perhaps our budget proposal is not perfect, but we are doing the deed to craft it. This year, I look forward to the governor entering the arena and proposing his plan for a balanced budget.

State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago 13th) released the following statement on the Senate’s vote on parts of the grand bargain budget deal:

"I am disappointed that Senate Republicans refused today to support elements of the grand bargain budget deal – parts that they requested and have supported in the past. During the debate, many Republican senators referred to these pieces of legislation as “easy,” and yet they failed to vote for them. If they are not willing to act on the low-hanging fruit of this overall negotiation, they are clearly not motivated to deal with the unprecedented and unacceptable budget impasse.

I do believe many of my Republican colleagues wanted to vote in favor of these measures, but they were undermined by the governor’s office and members of the far right, who are sabotaging work towards a compromise that will allow us to create the stability our state needs."